Pak-Pak
A sentient species from the Impero System, Pak-Pak, or Pak for short, are small carnivorous mammals with long, flexible spines. Biology and appearance This fur-covered, sleek and powerful species are carnivores who are believed to have descended from aquatic mammals. They are furry bipeds who stand at an average height of four and a half feet tall making them slightly smaller than most Humans with slightly shorter legs and arms. Their bodies are covered by a sleek brown, blonde, or grey fur and they normally don't wear clothing on their homeworld. However, when working or visiting elsewhere, they often wear the appropriate clothing or outfits. Their long bodies are equally comfortable walking on either two legs or on all four. The two foot long tails serve as a counterbalance for their bodies when standing upright. Short glossy hair covers their bodies which is usually brown, gold, or grey in color. At the end of their paw-like hands are retractable claws which not only give them the capacity to dig but also made them excellent climbers. They have long pointed faces with bristly whispers as well as long teeth. Pak-Pak are able to see about 45 feet in the dark with their dark-vision traits being black and white only. They also are able to see twice as far in dim lighting with the capability of distinguishing color and detail under such conditions. Pak-Pak are capable of living over 65 years of age with specific range during their growth to adulthood. Those between 1-8 years are considered children whilst 9-14 are young adults and 15-35 age are adults. A Pak between the ages 36-45 is considered middle aged whilst those being 46-60 are held to be old and any older than 60 are considered venerable. Most Pak are infertile females. One in every hundred is male, and five in every hundred are fertile females. Society and culture Despite the massive starship traffic to the Imperon shipyards, many visitors and even some native Imperos know very little of the Pak-Pak and their distinctive unique alien culture. In mindset, they are a thoroughly grounded and serious race primarily concerned with the safety of their people. This means that the protection of their family dens and their species as a whole is a chief concern. The basis for this line of thinking is because they view that the needs of the society outweighed the needs of the individual. To those unaware of the deeper intricacies of the race, the Pak may appear as an outgoing, friendly and charitable species. However, their interests rarely go beyond securing the good of their respective den. They also have a deep psychological need to reach a consensus when taking action. As individuals Pak-Pak feel that the actions of an individual impacts an entire den, they refuse to lie as they believe such an act was a crime similar to murder. The underground nature of their existence shows that the Pak-Pak suffer from agoraphobia and are more comfortable in confined spaces compared to open environments. Despite their mammalian appearance, the social structure of a Pak family is more similar to insectoid races, like the Temaurs as they possess a hive minded society. Their family dens are typically constructed underground and consist of a single fertile female who is the Queen, a few fertile males and a large number of infertile females. These underground dens are actually created by the Pak-Pak using their sharp claws to make the intricate tunnels and massive dwellings. The Queen and few fertile males are responsible for siring all members of the den. Females born of the same father and thus are members of the same sept are genetically identical. The Queen herself is capable of being pregnant five times a year where they give birth to five or more children. The much more common element within their society is the sterile females who perform all the other functions of Pak-Pak life. Some are, in fact, responsible for both the males and the Queen safety. Den members are responsible for keeping the fertile Queen away from harm and protecting their home. It is known that the Pak do not recognize relations in the same manner as most Human cultures. Competing dens control regions of territory on their homeworld with the ruling group being known as the Overden. Their cities are actually a collection of several dens with each specializing in a skill or craft. These dens support and aid each other by way of a complicated system of bartering and favor exchanges. A select number of Pak-Pak are specifically trained to deal with aliens and Humans. These individuals are known to integrate themselves into Human societies where they put their carefully learned mannerisms and attitudes at work with aliens in order to interact with them better. Though they maintain a seemingly primitive existence, the Pak are in fact an information age level civilization. They are, in fact, considered technologically on par to galactic standards with their dens linked through computer networks and rapid transit systems. Their industrial capacity is also able to help feed the ravenous production needs of the Impero shipyards who the Pak provide with high-tech components. They have mastered shipbuilding technology and even created starships capable of traversing their home system. Pak-Pak have possessed the ability for space travel for many years though their reluctance to do so has more to do with their mindset. As they have little desire to go beyond the Impero system, the Pak do not construct spatial displacement drives for their vessels. Category:Mammalian Species Category:Centrality Region Cultures Category:Proditor Sector Cultues Category:M-11 Category:Proditor Alliance Cultures Category:Doruush Species Category:UCIS Articles